Drivers are in for a double whammy of slick roads in below-freezing temperatures Tuesday morning, followed by our first significant snowfall of the season, as much as 4 inches, the weatherman says.

The flakes will coincide with the school day, beginning about 9 a.m. and wrapping up about 3 p.m.

The city Sanitation Department is ready with 365 salt spreaders and plows, as the city declared a snow alert effective for 6 a.m.

Winter weather information and details of the city's response to the storm can be had at www.nyc.gov/severeweather or by calling 311.

The mercury will dive into the low 20s Tuesday night, and we'll be in the freezer for the balance of the work week. It will be dry, though, at least until the next round of precip, which is expected at the weekend.

It's a little too early to say whether we'll see a white Christmas -- not to mention a white Super Bowl in the Meadowlands. But it's certainly advisable to bundle up.